by Sarah Segall | Jul 16, 2020 | 2nd/3rd Grade News, 4th/5th Grade News, First Grade News, In The Loop, Kindergarten News, Preschool
What will the 2020-2021 school year look like for Spanish With Sarah?
We will update this page as more information becomes available. We are also working on a handbook and will email and post that to all families the first week of August.
We will need to follow health and safety guidelines set forth by the state of WA for all public and private schools.
We are working on a plan for staggered arrival and dismissal times to help with the flow of traffic. The current plan of thought is (subject to change):
Drop Off Times by grade levels:
8:30-8:40 – 2nd-4th Grade Families
8:40-8:50 – Kindergarten – 1st Grade Families
8:45 ( or 12:30) – Preschool families will enter through the back door of the school, maintaining 6’ social distance from other families.
Parents will drive up to the yellow area, cars will be met by either Ms. Marilu or Maestra Sarah, with parents remaining in their cars. We will ask to see your written temperature check from home or we will do a temperature check on your child, help them to exit the car, and escort them inside.
We will be able to help two cars at a time, please be sure to pull into the nearest spot. Children, at this time, are required to wear masks and have it on before the car doors are opened for temperature checks.
Students will wash their hands upon entering the school each day.
Preschool families will escort your children to and from their class via the back entrance, closest to the preschool room. We will ask anyone on school property to wear a mask to properly cover their nose and mouth.
Pick-up Procedures and Times
We will have students lined up, hands washed, and ready to escort them to your car.
Alternating pick-up times:
3:00-3:15 – 2nd-4th Grade families
3:15- Preschool Families will enter the back door of the school for pick up (please maintain 6’ distance from other families)
3:15-3:25 – Kindergarten – 1st Grade Families
The current plan is to have in-person classes (we already have smaller class sizes)! We have also acquired a larger room upstairs for our oldest class (with it’s own bathroom). This will help reduce the number of students in the downstairs hallway and bathrooms.
We are currently planning to:
- Have in-person classes.
- Ask parents to drop their children off outside so we may escort them to their classes. (This will reduce the number of people in our hallway as well as reduce the points of contact in the school.)
- Ask preschool families to enter and exit through the back door (the door closest to the preschool room).
- Ask students to stay home when they are sick.
- Wear a mask while at school. (Following recommended guidelines.)
- Arrange classrooms for maximum student distance of 6′, including alternative seating options.
- Conduct classes outside, when possible.
- Record and/or broadcast lessons so sick children can join from home.
- Take temperatures regularly (following the guidelines that have yet to be sent out).
- Have extra and frequent cleaning methods in place.
- Have all individual, non-shared, supplies.
- Have specialist teachers come to classes so that students will not be moving to different rooms on Wednesdays.
- Split the students during lunch and recess so we have half as many kiddos eating or playing at one time.
- Have teachers bring their class outside for dismissal.
- Have students bring their own snacks so we are not handling their food.
- Limit field trips until we have been advised to lift this restriction.
- Divide preschool classes in half to separate students during table activities and rug/calendar activities.
- State guidelines state that music and some PE activities may not be safe and will need to be offered in a different way. We are awaiting further guidance while making plans to use larger spaces or have these student activities outside.
We will have Google Classroom and other virtual sites set up so that students will be familiar with them in the event students are ill and can join class remotely or watch a recording of lessons when they are feeling better.
Last year we really didn’t miss a beat and our teachers immediately began recording lessons and hosting live lessons every single day for the classes. Like every classroom in the country, we will need to be prepared to move to a short-term distance-learning model should someone in the class test positive. Unlike last year, distance learning should be for limited periods of time only.
by Jackie & Marci | Jun 14, 2020 | Kindergarten News
Pet Venus Fly Trap
Science 
Favorite plant entry
Growing a garden from kitchen scraps
This week we will finish our domain with two lessons. One on how plants benefit people and the other on the scientist George Washington Carver.
Our objectives will be to:
- Identify things that plants provide us: oxygen, food, and important products
- Understand the life and achievements of George Washington Carver
Future entomologist
History and Geography
Royal band in the making
Cinderella’s slipper made from things around the home
We will finish our Kings and Queens unit this week by listening to the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
carriage architect
Our objectives will be to:
Cinderella’s carriage
- Describe the characters, settings, and plots in the stories
- Discuss the lesson in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that shows that goodness prevails and is rewarded
Frying pan begins with “fr”
English Sight Words
flowers, frying pan, craft and clip
off, think
We will be reviewing the “X,Y, and Z” sight words. Our poem of the week will be If I Were King. Our sorts this week are words that begin with “br” “bl” “gr” and “gl” sounds. There is an additional sort for future practice this summer.
The Google Classroom will continue to be available this summer if the Kindergartners would like to review or catch up on any unfinished work they may have.
La lectura y las matemáticas
I can’t believe that it is our last week of kindergarten. It was a beautiful experience to have had you as students and despite the circumstances, you managed to get ahead and everything has been a success. I am proud of all of you for how you have finished kindergarten. Thank you for all your smiles and energy that inspired me during our online classes.
La lectura:
Our learning goals for this week are:
-Review words with the U vowel.
-Review sight word “mucho” (a lot) and “ese”(that).
-Read the book “Mi corazón se llena de alegría”.
-Make words with the Spanish word games.
Matemáticas:
by Sarah Segall | Jun 13, 2020 | 2nd/3rd Grade News, 4th/5th Grade News, First Grade News, In The Loop, Kindergarten News, Preschool
Dear Parents,
We are excited to celebrate the end of the school year with our students. We know the normal end of the Performance and Field Day can’t occur under the current circumstances. In light of that, we would like to share how we will celebrate our students’ accomplishments from this year and wish them a wonderful, safe summer.
On June 17, we are inviting all students and parents to a drive-thru celebration at Spanish With Sarah where students will be cheered and celebrated by staff. All preschool-5th grade students and parents are invited from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM. In order for us to facilitate this, we need to follow specific guidelines and expectations laid out by the State of Washington:
- Parents are encouraged to decorate their cars to celebrate their students!
- Students and family members will NOT be able to get out of their vehicles.
- Vehicles with students and immediate family members will enter the parking lot from 23rd street (closest to the big trees) and follow the loop, pause to greet teachers, and exit out 23rd street (closest to the house).
- Staff will be stationed in front of the playground fence to wave and celebrate students.
- Staff will have signs acknowledging students and will decorate the fence and their cars.
- Each vehicle will stop at the designated TEACHER area: award appropriate certificates, give end-of-the year items, and take an optional photograph. Students will NOT be able to get out of their cars.
- Please do not pull ahead of the vehicle in front of you but rather follow through the procession.
- Anyone who did not have their yearbook mailed to their home will be able to pick this up during the parade.
We know this is not the way we had all planned to celebrate the successful completion of the school year, and we appreciate your understanding as we do our best to celebrate.
PLEASE take a look at the MAP to help make things run smoothly!
by Jackie & Marci | Jun 7, 2020 | Kindergarten News
Science
This week we will be learning about interesting plants and plant facts. We will be writing in our journals about the plant that we think is the most interesting or unusual plant we know about. Our experiment will be to try and grow plants from kitchen scraps.
Our objectives will be to:
- Understand that there are many different kinds and sizes of plants
- Understand that different kinds of plants grow in different environments
- Identify the parts of specific plants that are eaten by people
History and Geography
A royal instrument!
This week in our King and Queen unit we will be learning about Cinderella. Students will have the opportunity to read and listen
to different versions of the story. Our focus will be on main characters and setting. We will continue to work on our vocabulary booklet.
Royal shaker
The project this week will be to design and create either a pumpkin carriage or a glass slipper from things found around the home and yard.
Royal drums
Our objectives will be to:
- Describe the characters, settings, and plots in the stories
- Discuss the lesson in Cinderella that goodness prevails and is rewarded
Royal musician
Old King Cole called for his fiddlers three!
Sidewalk chalk sort practice lesson
English Sight Words
sort sound: blanket
Our sight words this week are made, more. We will also be reviewing U, V, and W sight words. Our poem this week is “The Queen of Hearts”. For spelling we are working on cr, cl, fl, fr blends.
La lectura
Our learning goals for this week are:
-Review words with the “I” and “E” vowel.
-Review sight word “Casa” (House) and “Vida”(Life).
-Read the book “La gallinita roja”.
-Make words with the Spanish word games.
Las matemáticas
-Trace, write, and draw ten frames.
-Subitizing
-Subtraction
-Coloring according to the geometric figure
-Geometric figure identification
by Jackie & Marci | May 31, 2020 | Kindergarten News
deciduous tree scavenger hunt, leaf and bark rubbings
Science
Leaves and snails
making apple cider
Leaf collecting
Finding Different leaves
This week we will be learning about the evergreen trees. We will have the chance to do two experiments. One with conifer cones and one with leaves to show how they produce oxygen.
Our objectives will be to:
Tea with “Jonathan Bing”
History & Geography
This week we are listening to two rhymes that have to do with kings and queens, “Old King Cole” and “Sing a Song of Sixpence”. We will have two projects for this week. We will be making royal instruments to go along with “Old King Cole” and we will be making a class book about what we
A tea party with friends fit for a queen!
would do if we were a king or queen.
The queen is served
A beautiful scepter
Our objectives will be to:
The king and his royal tea
- describe the behaviors that reinforce that kings and queens are royal
The crown prince and princess have friends for tea
- recite “Old King Cole”
- understand that kings usually possess gold and other treasures
- describe the behaviors that reinforce that kings and queens are royal
- recite “Sing a Song of Sixpence”
English Sight Words
Sort sounds: pear, plate, leaves
Our sight words this week are their, grow
We will be reviewing our “T” sight words this week. Our poem is “Old King Cole”. Our sort this week will be on the blends sounds “sl” “pl” “bl”
La lectura
Our learning goals for this week are:
– Review words with the “o” vowel.
– Review sight word “Tienen” (they have), “Todos” (all).
– Read the book “El pez arco iris y la ballena azul”.
– Read, write and sequence.
-Make words with the Spanish word game.
Las matemáticas
Our weekly learning objectives are:
-Subitize.
-Addition and subtraction.
-Write the numbers in order.
by Jackie & Marci | May 24, 2020 | Kindergarten News
Apple experiments
Science
We will be learning about deciduous trees this week. Students will have the opportunity to go for a 
scavenger leaf hunt and find different kinds of deciduous trees.
Apple strudel
Our objectives will be to:
Apple bird feeder
Apple print painting
Their royal highnesses
History & Geography
A royal package arrives
Decorating my crown
This week we will be hearing the poem “Jonathan Bing”. Our project for this lesson will be to create a royal tea party.
Our objectives are to:
- Describe appropriate dress and manners used in meeting and/or talking with kings and queens
- Explain that proper dress and manners in the presence of a member of the
royal family is a sign of respect for the importance of that person
- Demonstrate familiarity with the poem “Jonathan Bing”
English Sight Words
their, grow
Our poem is called “It is Springtime”. We will be reviewing the R and S sight words. Our sort this week is on p, l, pl sounds.
La lectura y las matemáticas
This week’s plan does include activities for Monday but you can, of course, do the activities when it works best for you.
Our learning goals for this week are:
- Review words with the ‘a’ vowel.
- Review sight word “cada”/each.
- Read the book “Hurra, pecesito”
- Learn the names of ocean animals through song.
- Read, write, and sequence.
- Subitize.
- Addition and subtraction.
- Using the clock.
Have a great Memorial weekend!
by Sarah Segall | May 19, 2020 | 2nd/3rd Grade News, 4th/5th Grade News, First Grade News, In The Loop, Kindergarten News, Preschool
If you are a parent or guardian of minor children also struggling with child rearing, I want to personally invite you to our virtual town hall, featuring notable child psychologist Dr. Allison Briscoe-Smith of the Wright Institute. The lively town hall discussion will be moderated by Sara Ellis Conant, co-founder and CEO of A-Plan Coaching. Dr. Briscoe-Smith will address your tough parenting questions and provide you with practical coping strategies to help you and your family promote resiliency during these uncertain times.
https://helpamotherout.us20.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5e8087dc5992e8fc2893d0b49&id=91b0e98efa&e=3f23087ab6
by Jackie & Marci | May 17, 2020 | Kindergarten News
Fruit salad, yummy, yummy!
Science
This week it’s all about the apples. We will be learning more about Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) and his legacy of apples in the north eastern part of 
our country. We will have a chance to do a science experiment with apples and students can be creative with an apple project.
Our objectives will be to:
- understand that people eat the fruit of apple trees
- explain that seeds are the beginning of new plants, and specifically that apple seeds are found inside the core of the apple
- demonstrate familiarity with the tall tale “Johnny Appleseed”
Rainbow fruit salad
History & Geography
Home is her castle
We will be moving on to fictional stories and poems in our Kings and Queens unit this week. Students will have the chance to hear the story of “King Midas and the Golden Touch”. We will be working on some journal
writing, our Kings and Queens vocabulary booklet, and students will get to decorate their royal crowns.
His royal scepter
Our objectives will be to:
- understand that kings usually possess gold and other treasures
- discuss the difference between valuing relationships with people and valuing wealth understand contemporary references to someone having the Golden Touch or the Midas Touch
English Sight Words
Putting on a kingly face
really, turn
We will be reviewing our “O and P” sight words this week. For spelling we have the sc, sn, and sw sounds. Our poem this week is “I’m Blooming”
La lectura y las matemáticas
The kids are doing such a great job continuing to learn remotely!! (I am so impressed with YOU parents! Supporting distance learning is one thing, supporting it in another language is another level that is very impressive!!)
This week our learning objectives are:
- Use the words of the week in written and spoken sentences: hace (he/she does or makes), otro (other)
- Play word games with syllables.
- Read, write, and count syllables.
- Use our writing conventions for a journal entry.
- Listen to and read stories about our theme: el océano
- Read outloud daily to practice fluency.
- Practice subitizing in many different ways.
- Practice addition and subtraction.
- Identify coins.
What is subitizing? Subitizing is the ability to recognize a small group of objects without counting. It is a fundamental skill in the development of number sense.
by Jackie & Marci | May 10, 2020 | Kindergarten News
Science
Learning about Polly the Pollinator
This week we will be learning about the fruits of Polly’s labor, fruit! The class will learn about different kinds of fruit, observe seeds in fruit, create their own fruit salad recipe, and begin to learn a little about Johnny Appleseed.
Our objectives will be to:
Re purposed bee project
- explain that seeds are the beginning of new plants
- understand that some plants produce fruit to hold seeds
- compare and contrast fruits and seeds of different plants
- recognize that people eat some fruits
Stone Soup
Acting out “Stone Soup”
Preparing some stone soup
History & Geography
We are beginning our next unit this week, Kings and Queens. In this unit we will learn about queens and kings and their royal families. Through both nonfiction and fictional reading selections, we will learn about 
responsibilities, lifestyle, and customs associated with royalty throughout history. This week students will be invited to create a royal scepter, read about some castles and palaces around the world, and write about what it would be like to be a king or queen.
Bakery shop
Trades-person shop signs
Out objectives this week are to:
creating “Stone Soup” Star Wars version
- describe what a king or queen does
- describe a royal family
- identify and describe royal objects associated with a king or queen
- identify important factors that ensure a royal family’s success
- indicate that queens and kings still exist today, but that there were many more long ago
Ocean poem leads to finding oceans
English Sight Words
happy, dear
Our poem for the week is “You Are My Sunshine” Mother’s Day version.
This week in spelling we are working on the sk, sm, sp sounds. Sight word review will be M and N words.
Thank you everyone for the wonderful postcards this week. They put a smile on our faces and warmed our hearts each day. We miss our students so very much!
La lectura y las matemáticas
I so LOVE receiving pictures of the students throughout each week. I look forward to seeing you learning!!
Our learning objectives for this week are:
- To use the words of the week in sentences: había – there was, aquí – here
- To listen to stories about whales.
- To read, construct and write words
- To color (in the lines, no white spaces) the ocean
- To identify, color and cut syllables
- To correctly put words in the correct order to make a proper sentences
- To become more proficient in subitizing
- To practice addition and subtradction
- To identify coins and to practice with money
